the best way to store your digital photos

This post was updated in 2022.

There are so many suggestions out there, so much advice, on the best way to store your digital photos.  How about we just simplify it?!

Advice from photo experts is this:   Store your digital photos twice digitally (two different ways) and once in print.

In fact, did you know if you Google "how to store photos," the one commonality in any article you read is this:  be sure you have a hard copy.

So let's look at the best ways to store digital photos in both digital storage and print storage.

DIGITAL

The issue with digital photo storage these days is that you have to be careful.  Many companies data mine (sell your data and/or your photos), and many don't guarantee permanency (fine print says they can discontinue services at any time).  Most companies require a monthly maintenance fee, so you have to "pay rent" on the service indefinitely.

This option tops anything else I've ever seen:

If you're looking for permanent, private digital photo storage (plus video, audio, and PDF files!) learn more here, or watch:

There are a lot of reasons that Forever Storage tops anything else I've ever seen.  This covers most of it:

Nobody else offers this.  Apple terms and conditions, for example, state that your account is terminated upon your death.  Shutterfly terms and conditions state that they can discontinue their services at any time, "with or without notice."  Many others reserve rights to your photos and your data.  Google says they can share your photos if you've made them visible to others.  

None of that is what I want for my photos.

One other caution about storing your digital photos digitally.  Photo experts say to store digital photos in one onsite place and one offsite place.  Onsite basically means "at home."  I used to store my digital photos in two onsite places.  I have my computer and an external hard drive.  However, both of those items are sitting right next to each other in my office.  So if a tornado comes through and rips the office off my house, all my digital photo files are gone.

That's why offsite matters.  Getting them in one more spot besides your house where a disaster could occur (even just a leaky roof that drips onto your electronics and ruins them would do it) matters.  Offsite means "not at your house."  It's often called cloud storage where your photo files are saved on an internet-based server.  

And don't miss that little bullet point "triple-backed up."  Forever uses three servers in different locations.  Plus, they use bank encrypted security.  

We're talking about the best way to store your digital photos here, so I'm sure you can see why I consider Forever Storage the best!  This little one-minute video is a great overview with a perfect analogy.

PRINT
As great as storing your photos digitally is, you don't take photos in order to store them.  You take photos in order to SEE them.

Do whatever you need to do to make it affordable, like catching sales and joining the free Club program, but whatever you do, DO NOT SKIMP ON QUALITY.  Nobody wants to spend time or money twice because the first one fell apart.

Although you can choose any top-quality method that works for you, I personally prefer and recommend preserving your photos with their memories using digital photo-storybooks using one of these options.  All the options listed there are beautiful, heirloom-quality, and a hundred other things, but one of the best things about it is that a digital copy of your completed project is stored in your account indefinitely.  

What that really means is this.  

I took a lot of photos on this special trip in 2015, the last family trip we took before my mom passed away.

If a toddler dumps juice on this book, or if my house burns down, I STILL HAVE THIS BOOK.

That's a huge deal to me.  That's an enormous deal to me.

I consider Forever the best option for storing my photos in print because they use the best binding in the industry (no more falling out pages!) and the best inks and papers in the industry as well, plus they offer me a 100% satisfaction guarantee so I know it's going to be right every time.

Not only that, but there are 3 different software programs available to preserve my photos and memories in this high-quality way.  So whether I want a push-of-a-button option, a professionally-designed template option that I can just plug my text and photos into, or fully creative and flexible digital scrapbooking software, I get exactly what I want.  Every time. 

You can see each of the 3 print platforms here, with a description of each and then a few minutes spent creating in each one so you can see what it looks like.

Keeping your photos safe and protected both digitally and in print is so easily accomplished at just one website!   As great as that convenience is, it's really all about the quality and the permanence and the guaranteed longevity and privacy--because that's what we really want for our memories.  

Get started now by following these 5 simple steps.  I'm so happy I did!

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